3 NFL Greats Who Are Absolute Locks to Make Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021

The Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2020 was announced Saturday, but it's too early for fans to start looking ahead to next year -- especially considering some of the names who are about to be eligible for the first time. A few players stand out as obvious locks for enshrinement on their first ballot, while one player questionably left out of the 2020 class should be a lock for 2021 (in a just world, anyway). With that in mind, expect these three NFL greats to punch their tickets to Canton come this time next year.

3. Peyton Manning

Peyton Manning is a clear lock for the Hall of Fame. / Justin Casterline/Getty Images

Peyton Manning sealed his fate as a first-ballot Hall of Famer years and years ago. He won two Super Bowls between Indianapolis and Denver, went to 14 Pro Bowls, was a seven-time first-team All-Pro, and won five MVP awards. As one of four quarterbacks to eclipse the 70,000-yard mark and one of the single greatest players ever to play the game, it's hard to think of a more obvious slam dunk.

2. Charles Woodson

A Heisman Trophy winner at Michigan, Charles Woodson lived up to the hype during a long and storied NFL career with the Oakland Raiders and Green Bay Packers. He went to nine Pro Bowls, was a four-time First Team All-Pro, and a Defensive Player of the Year, and won a Super Bowl with the Pack. His career lasted from 1998 to 2015 in part because he was able to reinvent himself as a safety after his days as a lockdown cornerback had wound down, and he was even a Pro Bowler and Second Team All-Pro in his 18th and final NFL season.

1. Alan Faneca

Former Pittsburgh Steelers star Alan Faneca missed out on induction in 2020. / George Gojkovich/Getty Images

Alan Faneca is still waiting for enshrinement after making nine Pro Bowls and being named a First Team All-Pro a whopping six times as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The former guard has a better overall resume than Steve Hutchinson, who was selected as part of this year's class. Hutchinson getting in should mean Faneca is a virtual lock come 2021.